Unconscious Consumption

Just like a computer, our brains have a limited amount of processing capability. If we had to consciously think about things like tying our shoes or buying our daily pack of chewing gum, that processing capability would be used up very quickly, and we’d end up standing around literally “lost in thought.”

To prevent this, most of us tend to hardwire frequent, less important decisions and processes. We turn them into ‘habits’ or ‘routines.’ Which has major implications for us as marketers. We tend to think of purchasing and usage as conscious decisions, when the truth is they often are not. In many cases, logic may have nothing to do with it.

So what needs to change? We need to recognize the unconscious nature of those consumer purchasing choices, and work on understanding the cues that consumers employ to enable these unconscious decisions.

Consumers won’t be able to articulate why they make these choices. To understand the unconscious behavior and gain a competitive advantage, you have to identify the cues that lead the consumer to (unconsciously) behave the way they do. Insights can be found by observing reactions to varying stimuli such as the packaging size, color or weight, or product cost, or shelf position. For example, coffee is perceived as more robust if packaged in dark colored containers. And the higher cereal is placed on the grocery store shelves, the healthier it is assumed to be.

Ferreting out subliminal cues is going to be expensive and time consuming. But less so than wasting your money on advertising that is trying to appeal to logic where it doesn’t apply. Forget the “voice of the consumer.” The consumer can’t tell you why they’re doing what they’re doing, because they aren’t doing it consciously. They’re going to have to show you, through observation and controlled testing. Good luck!

If you’d like some help in figuring out how to interpret and influence your consumers’ unconscious buying decisions, give Your CMO a call!